book dish



Book Dish: Paint It Black

I really really loved this book. I still lament that I am probably the only person in the world who has not read White Oleander, Janet Fitch's first novel, and I do promise to get to it someday but for now I am still reeling from her most recent, Paint It Black.

Devastation is immediate in this book. Too many questions, not enough answers for the main character. Not to mention a character that isn't really even alive who is present in every whim of the pen (typewriter).  Because Fitch is such an incredible writer and leaves no detail out, and because she can write a novel where a main character isn't even really there, I had to read this very slowly and very carefully to fully absorb and savor each drop. This could also be because I have a limited amount of pleasure reading time at night but trust me, I used my book light and I made it happen.

It wraps you up and doesn't let go. You worry for Josie who seems so lost and in so much pain and you will flip back and forth just like a page- wishing you were like her and thanking your stars you aren't.


Paint It Black

From the publisher:

From the bestselling author of White Oleander, a powerful story of passion, first love, and a young woman's search for a true world in the aftermath of loss.

Josie Tyrell, art model, teen runaway, and denizen of LA's 1980 punk rock scene, finds a chance at real love with art student Michael Faraday. A Harvard dropout and son of a renowned pianist, Michael introduces her to his spiritual quest and a world of sophistication she had never dreamed existed. But when she receives a call from the Los Angeles County Coroner, asking her to identify her lover's dead body, her bright dreams all turn to black.

"What happens to a dream when the dreamer is gone?" is the central question of PAINT IT BLACK, the story of the aftermath of Michael's death, and Josie's struggle to hold onto the true world he shared with her. As Josie searches for the key to understanding his death, she finds herself both repelled and attracted to Michael's pianist mother, Meredith, who holds Josie responsible for her son's torment. Soon, the two women find themselves drawn into a twisted relationship reflecting equal parts distrust and blind need.

Passionate, wounded, fiercely alive, Josie Tyrell walks the brink of her own destruction as she fights to discover the meaning of Michael's death. With the luxurious prose and emotional intensity that are her hallmarks, Janet Fitch has written a spellbinding new novel about love, betrayal, and the possibility of transcendence.

Purchase the book at your local book store, if you can't find it try Amazon.com